caves
Although a number of caves have been discovered throughout Samcheok, their interiors are deceptively fragile, and so only these two, both part of Daei ri County Park, are open to the public. They are âHwanseongulâ and âDaegeumgulâ.
Hwanseon Cave
You can reach the entrance of Hwanseon Cave after passing the ticket office, severaltraditional houses, a bridge, waterfall, and 398 iron stairs. 448 wild plants grow around the cave. It is also possible to take a monorail ride after the ticket office return ticket â© 5,000, one-way â© 3,000, but this is not really worth it, and if busy will take longer than walking walk is about 30 minutes from the ticket office. It takes about 1 hour to see the inner side of the cave which is open from 8:30 am to 5 pm during the winter season Nov.~ Feb., and from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm during the summer season Mar.~ Oct.. The price for an entrance ticket is â© 4,000.
Stories surrounding the stream abound. One popular legend has it that a beautiful woman used to appear at awaterfall near Daei ri village to bathe. But when she was approached by the villagers one day, she disappeared. Lightning struck, rocks tumbled, and the lady turned into a cave. Believing that she must have been a seonnyeo fairy, the villagers named the cave Hwanseongul or reborn deity. Also the Hwanseongul Cave has bridge of confessions and youâll see a sign inviting you to confess your sins.
Daegeumgul
Daegeum begins with a monorail ride uphill. The Daegeum monorail offers a seven minute journey. Daegeumgul Caveâs monorail carries visitors into a hidden underworld, passing beautiful stalactites and rock formations on the way. Be sure to book this in advance, as in high season it might be fully booked. Booking can be done at the Tourist information booth outside the bus station. Booking online can only be done with a Korean issued creditcard.
